Son of a Gun (I Betcha Think This Song Is About You)

"Son of a Gun (I Betcha Think This Song Is About You)"
Single by Janet Jackson with Carly Simon featuring Missy Elliott
from the album All for You
Released December 11, 2001 (2001-12-11)
Format CD single, 12" single
Recorded 2000–2001;
Flyte Tyme Studios
(Edina, Minnesota)
Record One
(Sherman Oaks, Los Angeles, California)
Genre R&B, hip hop
Length 5:56 (Album Version)
4:14 (Remix featuring Missy Elliott)
Label Virgin
Writer(s) Janet Jackson, James Harris III, Terry Lewis, Carly Simon
Producer Janet Jackson, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis
Janet Jackson chronology
"Someone to Call My Lover"
(2001)		 "Son of a Gun (I Betcha Think This Song Is About You)"
(2001)		 "Feel It Boy"
(2002)
Carly Simon chronology
"Love of My Life"
(1992)		 "Son of a Gun (I Betcha Think This Song Is About You)"
(2001)		 "Let It Snow"
(2005)
Missy Elliott chronology
"4 My People"
(2001)		 "Son of a Gun (I Betcha Think This Song Is About You)"
(2001)		 "Oops (Oh My)"
(2002)
P. Diddy chronology
"Diddy"
(2001)		 "Son of a Gun (I Betcha Think This Song Is About You)"
(2001)		 "Pass the Courvoisier Part II"
(2002)

"Son of a Gun (I Betcha Think This Song Is About You)" is a song by American singer Janet Jackson, featuring Carly Simon and (on the official remix) American rapper Missy Elliott. Released as the third single from Jackson's seventh studio album, All for You (2001), the song was written and produced by Jackson, James Harris III, and Terry Lewis, and is built around a sample of 1972's "You're So Vain" by Simon, who also adds some new spoken parts into the song.

Contents

Song information

Like "You're So Vain", "Son of a Gun (I Betcha Think This Song Is About You)" generated speculation of who exactly the man described in the song was. The song is actually about men that are after Jackson's multimillion dollar fortune but some fans still believed that the song was about Jackson's ex-husband René Elizondo, Jr. Simon created a similar controversy when she released "You're So Vain" after she wed James Taylor. It was speculated to be about either Mick Jagger or Warren Beatty, among others. Like Simon, Jackson has never confirmed the identity of the man.

The song was remixed for release and features Missy Elliott and P. Diddy, peaking at number twenty-eight in the U.S. and becoming Jackson's thirtieth top forty single. The song became the first single from Jackson to miss the top ten of the Billboard Hot 100 since 1987's "The Pleasure Principle".

This song was only performed on the All for You Tour.

Story behind the song

“ If you could take Carly's voice out and try to imagine—which would probably be hard, because she's so awesome on this song—the song without her, that was the song. And obviously having to get her approval by using 'You're So Vain', I was on the phone with her and she wanted to just re-sing all her old parts and sing it all over again. I said, 'Yeah, I'm sure we can do that. That would be totally fine.' She said, 'I'd love to write just a line or two. Honestly there is no pressure [if] you guys don't want to use it. If you feel it fits, then go ahead and do so.' And Carly went back and wrote a whole song. It sounded so awesome that we decided to marry the two, and it really sounds, like, 'OK, we thought the whole thing through', for sure, and it worked perfectly, me co-singing what she sang. She doing the same as what I'm doing—co-singing what I sang—and that's how it became a duet. ”

—Janet Jackson, Yahoo! Music[1]
“ I got first inkling of an interest through the usual link: a lawyer. Luckily mine was on the ball and interested and quick on his feet. He called me and made mention of the fact that Janet had recorded it and was going to call it: 'Son of a Gun'. She needed sample clearance. I asked that Janet call me, and she did that night. She could not have been sweeter or more appreciative. I said I would prefer to re-record everything that might otherwise have been sampled. Why get Elektra involved and potentially hold up the process? So, Jimmy Jam sent me their tracks and I went into a local studio here on the Vineyard and recorded about 10 new tracks worth of material. The rap was spontaneous and I didn't think they would end up using it, but they did and I couldn't be happier about it. It was the kind of fun you don't necessarily count on having. ”

—Carly Simon, carlysimon.com[1]

Music video

For the single's music video, directed by Francis Lawrence and released in September 2001, The Original Flyte Tyme Remix of the song was used. Filmed at the Millennium Biltmore Hotel in Downtown Los Angeles, the video includes themes of the undead and occult. Jackson is depicted in an angry manner, stalking a man (played by Project Runway season 5 contestant Jerell Scott)[2] in an abandoned hotel. She summons Missy Elliott and a legion of zombies (including one that was created from a toilet). Jackson is also seen eating a spider, smashing jugs of water with a baseball bat, and taunting the man using telekinetic powers. Simon does not appear at all in the music video; she is however shown on the video screens on Jackson's All for You Tour during the song's opening. The video appears on the 2004 video compilation From janet. to Damita Jo: The Videos. A video for the P. Diddy Remix also exists and it's the same of The Original Flyte Tyme Remix, with P. Diddy in some parts.

Track listings

European 12" single (VUST 232)[3]
A1. P. Diddy Extended Remix featuring Missy Elliott and P. Diddy) – 7:59
A2. Route 80 Remix featuring Missy Elliott) – 4:09
B1. Cottonbelly Dub) – 5:27
B2. The Original Flyte Tyme Remix featuring Missy Elliott) – 4:13
European CD maxi single (VUSCDF 232)[4]
  1. The Original Flyte Tyme Remix featuring Missy Elliott) – 4:13
  2. P. Diddy Remix featuring Missy Elliott and P. Diddy) – 5:01
  3. Cottonbelly Remix) – 5:31
  4. Rock Remix featuring Missy Elliott) – 4:10
  5. Album Version) – 5:56
UK 12" R&B promo single (VUSTDJ 232)[5]
A1. The Original Flyte Tyme Remix featuring Missy Elliott) – 4:13
A2. Rock Remix featuring Missy Elliott) – 4:10
B1. P. Diddy Extended Remix featuring Missy Elliott and P. Diddy) – 7:59
B2. Route 80 Remix featuring Missy Elliott) – 4:09
UK 12" promo single (VUSTDJX 232)[6]
A. Cottonbelly Remix) – 5:25
B. Cottonbelly Dub) – 5:27
UK promo CD single (VUSCDJ232)[7]
  1. The Original Flyte Tyme Remix featuring Missy Elliott) – 4:13
  2. Radio Edit) – 4:00
UK CD single (VUSCD232)[8]
  1. The Original Flyte Tyme Remix featuring Missy Elliott) – 4:13
  2. P. Diddy Extended Remix featuring Missy Elliott and P. Diddy) – 7:59
  3. Route 80 Remix featuring Missy Elliott) – 4:09
U.S. 12" promo single (304 594)[9]
A1. Al B. Rich Son of a Club Edit) (Clean) – 7:01
A2. Al B. Rich Radio Edit) (Clean) – 4:00
B1. Al B. Rich Son of a Club Mix) (Dirty) – 9:41
B2. Al B. Rich Tribe-A-Pella) (Dirty) – 4:30
U.S. double 12" promo single (SPRO-16497)[10]
A1. P. Diddy Extended Version - Edited featuring Missy Elliott and P. Diddy) – 7:59
A2. Rock Remix featuring Missy Elliott) – 4:10
B1. The Original Flyte Time Remix Video Version featuring Missy Elliott) – 4:13
B2. Route 80 Remix featuring Missy Elliott) – 4:09
B3. Route 80 Instrumental) – 4:10
C1. P. Diddy Instrumental) – 4:54
C2. The Original Flyte Time Remix Instrumental) – 4:10
C3. Rock Remix) – 4:10
D1. Album Version - Edited) – 4:03
D2. Cottonbelly Remix) – 5:31
U.S. 12" single (7243 5 46171 1 9)[11]
A1. P. Diddy Super Extended Remix Edited featuring Missy Elliott and P. Diddy) – 7:59
A2. The Original Flyte Time Remix Video Version featuring Missy Elliott) – 4:13
B1. Rock Remix featuring Missy Elliott) – 4:10
B2. P. Diddy Super Extended Instrumental) – 7:55
U.S. promo CD single (DPRO-16483)[12]
  1. P. Diddy Remix Radio Edit featuring Missy Elliott and P. Diddy) – 4:26
  2. The Original Flyte Time Remix Video Version featuring Missy Elliott) – 4:13
  3. Rock Remix featuring Missy Elliott) – 4:10
  4. Route 80 Remix featuring Missy Elliott) – 4:09
  5. P. Diddy Super Extended Remix Edited featuring Missy Elliott and P. Diddy) – 7:59
  6. Radio Edit) – 4:00
Japanese promo CD single (VJCP-12144)[13]
  1. The Original Flyte Tyme Remix featuring Missy Elliott) – 4:13
  2. P. Diddy Remix featuring Missy Elliott and P. Diddy) – 5:01
  3. Cottonbelly Remix) – 5:25
  4. Rock Remix featuring Missy Elliott) – 4:10
  5. Album Version) – 5:56

Official remixes

The song's album version features Simon only, while the version released for radio was The Original Flyte Time Remix which cut Simon's and Jackson's parts significantly, censored explicit words, and also included a new rap from Missy Elliott (then she raps to all the house mixes). Other remixes such as the Route 80 Remix, the Rockwilder Remix, and the P. Diddy Remix were remixes of The Original Flyte Time Remix, not the album version. The remixes produced by P. Diddy completely eliminate the original song's chords and background music.

Charts

Chart (2001/2002) Peak
position
Australian Singles Chart[14] 20
Belgian Singles Chart (Flanders)[14] 20
Belgian Singles Chart (Wallonia)[14] 25
Danish Singles Chart[14] 19
German Singles Chart[15] 69
Dutch Top 40[16] 34
Irish Singles Chart[17] 21
Italian Singles Chart[18] 36
New Zealand Singles Chart[14] 49
Romanian Top 100[19] 54
Swedish Singles Chart[14] 48
Swiss Singles Chart[14] 56
UK Singles Chart[20] 13
U.S. Billboard Hot 100[21] 28
U.S. Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs[21] 26
U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Club Play[21] 7

References

  1. ^ a b Gelman, Jason (April 25, 2001). "Janet Jackson On Teaming Up With Carly Simon". Yahoo! Music. http://music.yahoo.com/read/news/12057156. Retrieved 2008-03-19. 
  2. ^ [1]
  3. ^ Janet Jackson With Carly Simon - Son Of A Gun (I Betcha Think This Song Is About You)
  4. ^ Janet* - Son Of A Gun (I Betcha Think This Song Is About You)
  5. ^ Janet Jackson - Son Of A Gun (R&B Remixes)
  6. ^ Janet Jackson - Son Of A Gun (I Betcha Think This Song Is About You)
  7. ^ Janet Jackson Son Of A Gun - I Betcha Think This Song Is About You UK Promo 5" CD SINGLE (201152)
  8. ^ Janet Jackson Collection Of 6 x CD Singles UK 5" CD SINGLE (425827)
  9. ^ Janet Jackson With Carly Simon Featuring Missy Elliott - Son Of A Gun (I Betcha Think This Song Is About You)
  10. ^ Janet Jackson With Carly Simon - Son Of A Gun (I Betcha Think This Song Is About You)
  11. ^ Janet Jackson With Carly Simon - Son Of A Gun (I Betcha Think This Song Is About You)
  12. ^ Janet Jackson - Son Of A Gun (I Betcha Think This Song Is About You)
  13. ^ Janet Jackson Son Of A Gun Japan Promo 5" CD SINGLE (276109)
  14. ^ a b c d e f g "Janet Jackson – Son Of A Gun (I Betcha Think This Song Is About You) – swisscharts.com". swisscharts.com. http://swisscharts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=Janet+Jackson&titel=Son+Of+A+Gun+%28I+Betcha+Think+This+Song+Is+About+You%29&cat=s. Retrieved April 3, 2008. 
  15. ^ "Musicline.de – Chartverfolgung – Janet Jackson – Son Of A Gun" (in German). Media Control. Musicline.de. http://musicline.de/de/chartverfolgung_summary/title/JACKSON%2CJANET/Son+Of+A+Gun+Feat.m.elliott/single. Retrieved October 24, 2008. 
  16. ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 51 – 2001" (in Dutch). Radio 538. Top 40. http://www.top40.nl/index.aspx?week=51&jaar=2001. Retrieved April 17, 2009. 
  17. ^ "Irish Top 50 Singles, Week Ending 10 January 2002". Irish Recorded Music Association. Chart-Track. http://www.chart-track.co.uk/index.jsp?c=p%2Fmusicvideo%2Fmusic%2Farchive%2Findex_test.jsp&ct=240001&arch=t&lyr=2002&year=2002&week=2. Retrieved October 24, 2008. 
  18. ^ "Classifiche Mix e Singoli". Federation of the Italian Music Industry. http://www.fimi.it/classifiche.asp?idtipo_classifica=3&idclassifica=369&archivio=true. Retrieved April 3, 2008. 
  19. ^ Romanian Top 100
  20. ^ "Chart Stats – Janet Jackson Featuring Carly Simon – Son Of A Gun (Betcha Think This Song Is About You)". The Official Charts Company. Chart Stats. http://www.chartstats.com/songinfo.php?id=29595. Retrieved October 24, 2008. 
  21. ^ a b c "All for You > Charts & Awards > Billboard Singles". Allmusic. http://www.allmusic.com/album/r564427. Retrieved April 2, 2008. 
Janet Jackson singles
Janet Jackson
Dream Street
Control
Janet Jackson's
Rhythm Nation 1814
Janet
Design of a
Decade 1986/1996
The Velvet Rope
All for You
"Doesn't Really Matter" · "All for You" · "Someone to Call My Lover" · "Son of a Gun (I Betcha Think This Song Is About You)" · "Come On Get Up"
Damita Jo
20 Y.O.
"Call on Me" · "So Excited" · "Enjoy" · "With U"
Discipline
"Feedback" · "Rock with U" · "Luv" · "Can't B Good"
Number Ones
Icon: Number Ones
Promotional singles
Collaborations
Book · Category · Portal · Template · WikiProject
Missy Elliott singles
Supa Dupa Fly
Da Real World
Miss E… So Addictive
"Get Ur Freak On" · "One Minute Man"  · "Take Away" · "4 My People"
Under Construction
"Work It" · "Gossip Folks" · "Back in the Day" · "Pussycat"
This Is Not a Test!
The Cookbook
Block Party
Featured singles
"That's What Little Girls Are Made Of" · "Brand New" · "Steelo" · "Cold Rock A Party" · "Can We" · "Not Tonight (Remix)" · "Make It Hot" · "Up Jumps Da Boogie" · "Trippin'" · "I Want You Back" · "Here We Come · "I Like Control" · "Ya Di Ya" · "Take That" · "Is That Yo Chick" · "Son of a Gun" · "Oops (Oh My)" · "The Knoc" · "Burnin' Up" · "Crew Deep" · "Bootylicious (Rockwilder Remix)" · "Cop That Shit" · "Party to Damascus" · "Fighting Temptation" · "Car Wash" · "Tush" · "1, 2 Step" · "Turn Da Lights Off" · "Love Me or Hate Me (Remix) · Touch It (Remix) " · "Let It Go" · "Do It" · "Bad Girl" · "Need U Bad" · "Whatcha Think About That" · "Let's Just Do It" · "Work" · "Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.) (Remix)"
Carly Simon
Studio albums
Compilations
Singles
"That's the Way I've Always Heard It Should Be" · "Anticipation" · "You're So Vain" · "Mockingbird" · "Nobody Does It Better" · "You Belong to Me" · "Why" · "Kissing with Confidence" · "Coming Around Again (song)" · "Son of a Gun (I Betcha Think This Song Is About You)"
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